I am honoured to be here today to speak on an issue which is of the greatest of urgency — the plague that we call “conflict” diamonds. For much too long, our response to this problem was weak and wholly inadequate. By ignoring the problem or letting those with vested interests in the trade convince …
I am pleased to speak on this important issue, on which there has been a great deal of progress in the past year. The United States remains deeply concerned about the illicit trade in rough diamonds. Unfortunately, this illegal trade continues to threaten the very fabric of numerous communities by f…
The United States will once again abstain in the voting on this draft resolution due to our belief that internationally recognized zones should be created through multilateral regional forums and not through United Nations resolutions.
Effectively responding to the challenges of achieving sustainable development and increasing human well- being in all countries is an important United States Government goal. Because of this interest, the United States Government is closely involved in discussions of the many relevant development is…
It is certainly a pleasure to be able to say “Madam President”. I wish there were more madams around the table. I want to express our great appreciation for your presence here today. We also want to let you know how ably you have been represented by Ambassador van Walsum and his team during a very d…
The United States is pleased once again to co-sponsor the draft resolution on “Assistance in mine action”.
The 70 million landmines planted in one third of the world’s nations pose a tragic threat not only to
individuals — some 300,000 of whom are disabled from landmine accidents — but also to pea…
I commend your vision, Mr. President, in having this important meeting today. As we discussed this morning regarding East Timor, when other crises divert our attention we tend to let fall by the wayside some of the urgent crises before us, and I commend your vision in scheduling this meeting today d…
Most of the members of the mission that was recently in East Timor are here with us today, and, on behalf of us all, I would like to reiterate our strong appreciation to the Special Representative, as well as to his team, for what I think we all believe was a useful visit. I was not on the first mis…
I thank Ambassador Lancry and Ambassador Al-Kidwa for their statements today.
For over 50 years, this great historic institution, the Security Council, has been the site of many important debates on the Middle East. The history of the Middle East has been written not only in the region but in this …
I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the Government of the United States, to speak in strong support of the draft resolution and to congratulate the Government of Benin on hosting the upcoming Fourth International Conference of New or Restored Democracies.
It is indeed a sign of the …
I would like to note at the outset that there has been no greater advocate for justice on this Council than the Netherlands, and my delegation and many others share the fundamental conviction that democratization and the pursuit of justice are fundamental pillars of our peacekeeping function.
I wou…
The United States would like to thank Judge Jorda for his detailed, deeply felt, compassionate and fair introductory report. Again we will be brief.
We do not share the view that the Tribunal has been unduly politicized, much less that it is anti- Serbian. One must be careful to avoid charging as h…
The United States would like to thank Judge Pillay for her outstanding introductory remarks. Our remarks will brief but, we hope, constructive.
We share the view of those who would have liked the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to have achieved speedier results. However, we believe that …
We would like to thank and commend the Dutch presidency for calling this important open briefing. In particular, I would like to thank the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. van Aartsen, for his thoughtful presentation, and also to thank the Secretary-General for his comments.
We applaud the c…
Today the General Assembly is discussing one of the most important — and frankly — one of the most vexing
issues that we face as Members of the United Nations. An impartial and dispassionate observer reviewing the record of the Open-ended Working Group and the General Assembly on this subject over …
It is truly an honour to welcome Mr. Kouchner back to the Security Council, which has become his home away from Pristina. I congratulate him on his extraordinarily moving, important and comprehensive presentation, and, on behalf of my Government, on his extraordinary accomplishments in Kosovo over t…
Thank you so much, Mr. President, for your creativity in having a discussion on an issue which at first seems abstract, but which in fact goes to the heart of the responsibilities of the Security Council and of the United Nations.
Thank you also for calling a meeting on exit strategies at a time wh…
The United States is pleased to be a sponsor of draft resolution A/55/L.31, on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is an especially propitious time to consider the progress that has been achieved and to review the tasks that remain so that Dayton’s dream of a democratic, tolerant and multi…
I want to thank Under-Secretary-General Guéhenno for his excellent briefing.
We welcome reports that this election was free and fair, apart from some disturbing incidents in Srebrenica and the illegal campaign activity by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
We are encouraged by the early results …
Today, the Security Council takes a critical step forward with the adoption of this resolution implementing the Brahimi Report’s core recommendations relating to the Council’s work. This reflects two months of hard work by the Council’s Working Group, under the extraordinary leadership and determina…
